Maharashtra: Out of sight for week, wandering tiger makes fresh kill

An undated photo of the tiger that travelled from Tipeshwar to Solapur as a cub along with its mother, T22

After a gap of over a week, the tiger that travelled from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal to Dharashiv in Solapur, covering a distance of over 500 kilometres, has made a fresh kill. The carcass of the cattle has been discovered by officials. Advanced technology, including thermal drones, regular drones, and camera traps, are being used to track and safely capture the tiger.

Farmers alerted the forest department to an increase in cattle attacks over the past weeks. This prompted the installation of camera traps, which captured images of the male tiger. Officials noted that this is the first recorded sighting of a tiger in the Yedshi Ramalinga Wildlife Sanctuary in Osmanabad. Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Kushagra Pathak from the Solapur Forest Department said, "A team of 15 forest officials, including experts from NGO RESQ CT with specialised experience in such operations, is monitoring the tiger's movements using advanced technology such as drones. Thermal drones are part of the operation, and a machaan [raised platform] has been set up near the spot of the cattle kill."

The expert team, including a veterinarian prepared to tranquilise the tiger, will remain stationed on the machaan. Meanwhile, the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) Rapid Rescue Team (RRT), which initially assisted in the operation, has returned to focus on managing wildlife-related conflicts in the Central India region of Maharashtra.

The monitoring of the tiger's movements is being jointly handled by Kushagra Pathak (DCF, Solapur), B A Pol (DCF, Dharashiv), and their teams. The tiger, a 2.5-year-old male, dispersed from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yavatmal (southwest of Nagpur) and trekked about 500 kilometres to Solapur district. Plans are in place to capture it and release it into the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, located 300 kilometres from Mumbai and spread across the Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Ratnagiri districts.

Researchers have identified the tiger as a cub of tigress T22 from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, born in 2022. Experts believe the young male tiger is roaming in search of a new territory, repeatedly moving between Solapur and Dharashiv districts.